1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to earth moving equipment and more particularly to ditchers for cutting agricultural drainage ditches diagonally across crop rows and along head lands . The ditcher is an agricultural type to be towed or fitted in a three-point hitch arrangement and operated by the power take-off (PTO) and hydraulic system either in the front or rear of a farm tractor.
2. General Background
Agricultural row crops, especially those with deep furrows, often require cross row drainage ditches to insure proper irrigation and drainage. Producing these deep contoured ditches in a manner whereby they will sustain long term service without additional channeling and cleaning operations after the crops are planted has been a difficult problem for many years.
Various apparatus have been employed to perform the ditching operation. Some universal types used for road ditching and cleaning operations, such as that disclosed by Snyder et.al. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,100, have been used with some success in agricultural operations. However, such side mount or rear mounted and side operated apparatus are generally expensive and are restricted to a much slower speed due to the tangential force applied to the side boom cutting head. Other ditchers which may be drawn behind a tractor or fitted to the tractor""s three-point hitch, such as those disclosed by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,511,326, 5,113,610, 5,875,573, allow a faster pace but are designed for a very large cut and are also expensive due to their complexity.
It is therefore desirable to provide an inexpensive PTO driven three-point hitch attachment with a relatively small disk blade that has the ability to make a deep cut through each row at a rapid pace. Although it is somewhat known in the art that utilizing a relatively small rotating disk set semi-vertically at obtuse angles to the direction of travel will effectively cut such ditches, such apparatus to date have only been used as side mounts in which case the earth being moved is thrown into the air, often engulfing the tractor operator. It is therefore essential that an appropriate ditching apparatus be mounted to the tractor in a manner whereby the earth being excavated is controlled and strategically placed.
A method and apparatus for forming a relatively shallow drainage ditch diagonally across crop rows, the apparatus, drawn or fitted to a tractor, incorporates a rotating cutting disk set semi-vertical and at obtuse angles to the direction of travel. The disk is adjustable in two planes and is driven either by direct drive from the tractor""s PTO or by hydraulic motor. The replaceable disk is fitted with slinger plates to insure proper removal of the excavated earth. An adjustable cutting tooth is provided in front of the disk for breaking the earth prior to being cut by the rotating disk. A trailing wheel, in conjunction with a flexible upper connection of the three point hitch, is provided to control the cutting depth of the tooth and cutting disk, thereby allowing the tooth and cutting disk to follow the contour of the earth. The apparatus is mountable to the front of a tractor, if desired, when the disk is driven hydraulically. The breaker tooth may also be mounted independently to the front of the tractor for breaking levees 99 prior to ditching, thereby allowing tractor egress.